According to Adam Schefter, the Buccaneers are privately concerned that QB Baker Mayfield could miss as many as six games with his dislocated thumb injury.
It will all come down to how quickly Mayfield can regain his grip strength to throw the football, per Schefter. That will be at least three weeks but it could be longer.
Mayfield avoided additional damage beyond the initial dislocation, though he did need stitches to close a wound from the injury.
Undrafted rookie QB Jalon Daniels won the backup job and will start in Week 4 and as long as Mayfield is out.
Mayfield, 31, was drafted by the Browns with the No. 1 overall pick out of Oklahoma in 2018. He played out the fourth year of a four-year, $32.68 million rookie deal that included a $21.85 million signing bonus.
The Browns exercised Mayfield’s fifth-year option, which would have cost Cleveland $18.858 million fully guaranteed in 2022. However, Cleveland traded Mayfield to the Panthers in exchange for a conditional 2024 fourth-round draft pick.
Cleveland agreed to cover $10.5 million of Mayfield’s salary, with the Panthers paying out the rest. However, Carolina cut Mayfield during the season, and he was claimed off waivers by the Rams, finishing out his contract in Los Angeles.
Mayfield signed a one-year deal with Tampa Bay worth up to $8.5 million for the 2023 season before signing a three-year, $100 million contract with the Buccaneers in 2024.
Tampa Bay added $30 million in guarantees to Mayfield’s contract for the 2026 season, then later signed him to a three-year, $165 million extension right before the start of the season.
In 2026, Mayfield has appeared in three games and completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 615 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
We’ll have more on Mayfield as the news is available.
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